News

  • Q December 2018

    The President Introduces his Plan to Lower Drug Prices .A recent study by TSCL, which examines the price changes in the goods and services typically purchased by retirees, found that Social Security benefits lost 30 percent of their buying power since 2000. The loss of buying power jumped 7 percent in just one year, rising from 23 percent in 2016, to 30 percent in 201The steep one-year loss of buying power occurred as costs rose far more rapidly than the COLA and it is an early indication that the COLA for 2018 will likely be higher than usual. .Some in Congress are hopeful that the conferees will negotiate a "grand bargain," which would include an overhaul of the tax code and entitlement reform. However, leaders in both chambers have been pushing for the conferees to focus more narrowly on replacing the "sequester" and establishing a fiscal 2014 budget blueprint. Should the conferees fail to reach a consensus, the government could face another shutdown on January 15th, a default on February 7th, and about billion in across-the-board spending cuts at the beginning of the year. … Continued

  • 3 Ways To Lower Your Medicare Spending In 2011 2

    In a statement, Congressman Doggett said: "Despite groundbreaking medical discoveries, we see no breakthrough in affordability for consumers. Drug pricing in America is a tangled mess, a knot that will take more than one cut to pull apart … Sick patients are tired of seeing Congress do nothing about a problem that affects so many." .This issue has just popped up and TSCL will be in contact with members of Congress to do all we can to prevent these looming cuts and we will keep you advised as to how things are going. .Canada Bans Sending Drugs to U.S. … Continued

This week, lawmakers in the House postponed a scheduled vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and leaders made last-minute changes to the text of the bill. In addition, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) delivered letters to Congress urging leaders to address the looming debt ceiling crisis. .If adopted, H.R. 1716 would prohibit unauthorized workers from receiving Social Security benefits based on work done while in the country illegally, using stolen, fake, or fraudulent Social Security numbers. TSCL was pleased to see support grow for H.R. 1716 this week, and we will continue to advocate for it on Capitol Hill in the months ahead, since we feel that protecting the integrity of the Social Security program is of utmost importance. .A loop-hole in current Social Security law could allow millions of Mexican workers and their dependents to eventually collect Social Security benefits for earnings while working under fraudulent, or non-work-authorized, Social Security numbers. .Because you are over 65, you are subject to Medicare's Special Enrollment Period rules that apply to the loss of health insurance coverage through you or your spouse's former employer. You need to enroll in Medicare Part B during the 8-month period that begins the month after your husband's employment ends or the employer health coverage ends, whichever happens first. Coverage under COBRA, however, would NOT be more than a temporary option for you because you would NOT be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period when that coverage ends, so don't wait to enroll in Medicare. You have 8 months to sign up for Part B and Part D without penalty, starting after the loss of your husband's job. .Congress Fails to Reach Agreement – President Takes Action .To learn more, please visit . .Jodey Arrington represents Texas' 19th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. .The last thing we need to happen to our healthcare system is to limit access to quality care. Already, 1-in-3 physicians are limiting the number of Medicare patients they see, and 1-in-8 physicians are refusing Medicare patients all together. Furthermore, the Affordable Care Act created the Independent Payment Advisory Board to control Medicare cost. This would place 15 bureaucrats, appointed by the president, in a position to control the future of Medicare and is another example of the Federal Government forcing themselves into your health care decisions. .Most Americans contribute 6.2 percent of every paycheck to Social Security, but due to the taxable maximum wage cap, people earning more than 8,500 pay nothing over that amount. Do you support increasing or eliminating the taxable maximum wage limit to make the program more solvent?